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From what I can tell, the Mana Wastes are a bit more magical as of the Inner Sea World Guide. The description in the previous Campaign Setting hardcover makes it sound like there's no magic whatsoever, where as the World Guide makes it sound like magic is present, if warped and unpredictable.
Does magic work in the Mana Wastes/Alkenstar? What's the official ruling? How do you run it in your home game? I'm just curious to know, as it is one of the regions that got me interested in the Pathfinder setting in the first place.
I'm too lazy to find it, but there was a thread a while back about Alchemists in the Alkenstar. The short official explanation is that the Mana Wastes are filled with areas of Wild Magic. Some areas are stable, and those areas are where you'll find major settlements. The long official explanation will be in Inner Sea Magic this July. Apparently, the Mana Wastes get a two page write up in that.
Creative Director
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The Mana Wastes were never meant to be a "magic dead" zone; the original hardcover was a bit unclear on that topic, partially because the original hardcover didn't actually have a single section about the Mana Wastes at all—it only had a few snippets here and there that were a little contradictory.
In any case, magic in the Mana Wastes is unpredictable. Sometimes it works fine, sometimes it doesn't work at all. Usually, it's chaotic primal magic that simply does random weird stuff. It's not a safe place to cast spells, really. There's more information about it in the upcoming Inner Sea Magic (not as a "two page write-up" but as several different entries and bits of information about primal magic).
So yes, magic works, just not well and not in any way that most spellcasters can trust it. And there are areas where magic just doesn't work at all—doldrums in the sea of magic that are truly magic dead. We haven't officially nailed down where those locations are yet, so we can keep things fluid and adjustable for authors should we ever set a full adventure or novel or book in the region.
So yes, magic works, just not well and not in any way that most spellcasters can trust it. And there are areas where magic just doesn't work at all—doldrums in the sea of magic that are truly magic dead. We haven't officially nailed down where those locations are yet, so we can keep things fluid and adjustable for authors should we ever set a full adventure or novel or book in the region.
I kind of picture is areas that move around. So dead magic areas aren't static in one location. This works better for me as DM as I can place magic dead areas at will or make it random. I'd prefer not specifying exact static locations.
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Interesting. I think I'll keep the Mana Wastes as a "dead magic" zone, at least in my home game (of course, we started Carrion Crown, so it's unlikely that any of my players will be heading down there). Having no magic massively unbalances the game, without doubt, but it's that uncertainty that drew me to the area in the first place.
Where else might work well as a "primal magic" kind of place? I'm thinking maybe the Worldwound?
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So yes, magic works, just not well and not in any way that most spellcasters can trust it. And there are areas where magic just doesn't work at all—doldrums in the sea of magic that are truly magic dead. We haven't officially nailed down where those locations are yet, so we can keep things fluid and adjustable for authors should we ever set a full adventure or novel or book in the region.
Well, that was not what I thought but it works real well for the story I am putting together.
Way of the Gun
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Creative Director
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Interesting. I think I'll keep the Mana Wastes as a "dead magic" zone, at least in my home game (of course, we started Carrion Crown, so it's unlikely that any of my players will be heading down there). Having no magic massively unbalances the game, without doubt, but it's that uncertainty that drew me to the area in the first place.
Where else might work well as a "primal magic" kind of place? I'm thinking maybe the Worldwound?
On the scale of the Mana Wastes, there's no other primal magic area in the Inner Sea region. There can certainly be much smaller pockets of it, though.